Railroad-switch



' (No Model.)

J. T. RIGNEY..

RAILROAD SWITCH. Y No. 275,711. Patented pr.10,1883.

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y UNITED. STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JOHN T. BIGNEY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

RAILROAD-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 275,711, dated April 10, 1883.

Application tiled October 28, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Beit known that I, JOHN T. RIGNEY, of the city of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented certain Improvements in Railroad- Switches, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is the construction of a railroad-switch in such manner as to prevent under any circumstances the derailment of'a train by an open track, as will hereinafter fully appear.

In the description of my invention which follows, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which- Figure I is a top view of a part of the main track and a siding, the same being provided with my improved switch, which is shown as in connection with the main track. Fig. II is a similar view to Fig. I, except that the switch is connected with the siding. Fig. III is a side view ot' Fig. I.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts in al1 the views.

A and B are the rails of the main track, and C and D those of the siding. It will be seen that the rail A is unbroken, and is not a'ected by the introduction ot' the switch in the rail B.

E is a guard-rail, which, together with the end of the rail O, represents a frog.

The said switch consists of4 a rail, F, pivoted at a, so as to form a continuation of the rail B, the guard-rail G, a frog-point, H, and a protection-rail, I, all secured together by means of spacing-pieces K and suitable bolts or rivets. v

When the switch is in the position shown in Fig. I the rail F forms a part ot' the main track, and should a train run out of the siding the wheels on the switch side will pass to the rail I, which gradually rises from thepoint b to a height sufficient to carry the iiange of the wheels over the rail F, and thence to the rail B.

When the switch is placed, as shown in Fig. II, for the siding, if a train should run down the main track over the switch, the wheels will pass over the frog-point'H and the ange through a space, c, between the frog-point H and the rail G to the rail B, which is a part ofthe main track.

The switch may be supported on chairs, cross-ties, or a plate in the usual manner.

The devices for moving the switch are not shown in the drawings, and they require no description herein, as they form no part ofthe prese-nt invention.

In applying this invention at points where three or more tracks converge, the same switch in principle will be placed in each side of the track.

While I have shown the opening c as between the ends of the frog-point H and the rail Gr, a single rail may be substituted for these two elements or parts ot' the switch and the rail notched slightly deeper than the projection of the flange.

I claim as my invention- In combination with the main rails of a track, one of which rails is broken and the other unbroken, and the rails of a siding, a switch placed in the broken rail of the main track, which consists of the pivoted rail F, guard-rail G, frog-point H, the two latter being separated by the space c, and the protection-rail I, the last named forming a junction with the rail F and rising gradually from the point b to a height sufficient to carry the ange of the wheels over the rail F and the tread of the said wheels to the said rail F, and thence to the rail B ot' the main track, all the parts of the switch being tied together by means of suitable devices, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

JNO. T. RIGNEY.

Witnesses ED. J. Drees, JOHN WILLIAMS. 

